Book early to attend ATF

SINGAPORE, 19 November 2014: Golden Myanmar Airlines will add flights between Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw to meet increased demand on the domestic route during the ASEAN Tourism Forum, January 2015.
Delegates are advised to book flights early as there are limited route options. Bangkok Airways is the only airline serving Nai Pyi Taw out of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport gateway. There are similar limitation in other gateway cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, which will force delegates to fly via Yangon to connect with domestic airlines that are charging one-way fares of between USD65 to USD105 depending on the flights.
Golden Myanmar Airlines is cited as a supporting airline, but it lacks a full-fledged international booking system and distribution outside of Myanmar. It has a very limited network in ASEAN serving just Singapore and Bangkok.
inside no 1 It flies twice daily between Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw with a third flight scheduled on Saturday and Sundays at a much higher fare of USD105 one-way.
Ideally, overseas delegates prefer to fly direct to the travel show’s host city without having to connect from international to domestic services with all the associated hassles of transferring baggage.
Golden Myanmar Airlines has no code-share or interline agreements that would allow check through of bags to the final destination.
None of these challenges are mentioned in the latest promotions issued by the Singapore-based show organiser, except a reference to “delegates will enjoy special fares on GMA.”
GMA also offers international flights between Singapore and Yangon and Bangkok and Yangon, but flights are packed with tour groups and fares are increasing as the peak season kicks in with record bookings for Myanmar.
Unlike other destinations that host the ASEAN Tourism Forum, most foreign visitors still require a visa to enter Myanmar. There is an electronic visa for a list of privilege countries, but the waiting period between the online application and confirmation by email that the visa has been approved is around seven days. Visas can be paid for by credit card.
Delegates who need a supporting letter to apply for a visa, need to notify the secretariat by 15 December. The show organiser says it could take two weeks to secure the correct visa to attend the show.
Most visitors to the show will apply for a tourist visa at the nearest embassy. It takes about three days to process in Bangkok or the consulate in Chiang Mai.
Nay Pyi Taw has a range of hotels that can cater to delegates, but the show organiser is omitting to tell would-be delegates that all of the best hotels in prime locations are booked out with government officials from the 10 member nations who are attending five days of meetings almost at the same time as the trade show.
Golden Myanmar Airlines ATF schedule and fares

sourced:ttrweekly.com